Department of Political Science
College of Liberal Arts

Master of Arts Curriculum Map

The Department offers the M.A. in Political Science entirely online. All of the courses are virtual and asynchronous (no set meeting time specified).

As an accelerated program, students can earn their M.A. in Political Science in two semesters (fall and spring). The M.A. in Political Science offers only the non-thesis route.

M.A. students enroll in all 6 of the 500-level courses for 18 credit hours at the beginning of each semester. Though students take 3 courses every 8 weeks, students must register for all 6 courses in the semester at the beginning of the semester during the registration period.

The courses are 8 weeks in length. In numerical order, students take three courses every 8 weeks.

In the first 8 weeks of a semester, students take the first 3 courses listed in numerical order.
In the second 8 weeks of a semester, students take the last 3 courses listed in numerical order.

Students do that for both the fall semester (if you start in August) and the spring semester (if you start in January). Students register for all 6 courses that semester at the beginning of the semester.

Click on the Curriculum Map in blue above. It lists the courses in the 1st 8 weeks of Fall and 2nd 8 weeks of Fall, and then it lists courses in the 1st 8 weeks of Spring and 2nd 8 weeks of Spring.

Students must complete all thirty-six (36) credit hours of coursework and pass the Graduate Area Comprehensive Examination (GACE).

All students must successfully complete the following and maintain an overall 3.00 GPA (on a 4.00 scale) in order to earn the M.A. degree in Political Science:

1. Complete thirty-six (36) credit hours of coursework.
2. Take and pass the Graduate English Competency Examination.
3. Take and pass the Graduate Area Comprehensive Examination.

Retention Requirement

A minimum grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) on graduate work earned in the degree program is required. Grades of C or lower do not count toward completing the M.A. degree.

Requirement for Degree Candidacy

Completion of the required political science courses and passage of the comprehensive examination are required for a student to be admitted to candidacy for the M.A. in Political Science. The comprehensive examination consists of written essay questions in the subfields of political science. It should be taken and passed during the student’s last semester of coursework.